The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing roofing products. In particular, the invention relates to an automated manufacturing process for producing shingles.
Traditional roofing products such as asphalt shingles, wood shake shingles, slate shingles and metal panels have both benefits and detriments. For instance, wood shake and slate roofs are aesthetically pleasing to many homeowners. However, wood shake shingles are considered a fire hazard while slate shingles are very expensive and subject to cracking.
Roofing product manufacturers have introduced less expensive roofing products that simulate wood shakes and slate roofing. For example, some asphalt shingles have been developed that resemble wood shake or slate shingles. These asphalt products, however, typically do not have the structural rigidity of slate or wood. Metal and plastic shingles that simulate wood shake and slake shingles also have been developed. These products, however, are subject to denting and breakage.
Roofing product manufacturers have also developed composite roofing products that resemble more traditional roofing products, including wood shakes and slates. Manufacturing these composite roofing products, which are typically composed of at least a polymer and a filler component, has traditionally involved the use of extrusion, pressing, and/or molding techniques. An example of a process involving extrusion of roofing products composed primarily of asphalt appears in U.S. Pat. No. 5,690,876 to Gallo, Jr. Examples of molding processes used in making composite roofing products include those in U.S. Pat. No. 6,025,052 to Maurer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,112,492 to Wells et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,635,124 to Abrams et al. Finally, use of both extrusion and molding is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,290,885 to Nakai et al.
Although some of these patents promote economics of scale in aspects of their manufacturing, the references do not disclose a manufacturing solution that takes advantage of economics of scale and that may be automated from virtually beginning to end.